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Friday, 10 April 2015

Which
Muslim amongst us would not dream of living in the land of the Prophet
(P.B.U.H), during his time? It is a common desire for every Muslim man or woman,
to have lived alongside the Prophet as one of his followers. This dream can
obviously not come true as we are talking about a time which has passed
centuries ago. However now if you just travel a few kilometers towards Makkah you
are instantly transported 1400 years ago, to the time of Our Prophet (P.B.U.H).

Dr.
Nasir Al-Quraishi Al-Zahrani, a Saudi businessman who has written a 500 volume
encyclopedia on the Prophet (P.B.U.H), is to thank for this new museum
dedicated to the time of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H). This museum-cum-information
centre was opened two years ago and is largely based on his research work. The
word museum may bring up an image in your mind of a place with antiquities
safely stored behind glass cases. However the Assalmu Alaika Ayyuha Annabi
museum located in the Al-Naseem District of Makkah is a bit different than
regular museums.

This
is due to the fact that modern technology has been used to bring to life even
the microscopic details from the life and time of the Prophet (P.B.U.H). The
only information source for this museum or information centre has been the Holy
Quran and authentic Sunnah.As you first enter the museum a huge screen welcomes
you with information on the creation of this planet and its objective. Another
screen to the side describes above 20,000 attributes of Allah. An adjacent
screen shows 18,000 references on the unity of Allah from the Holy Quran.

In
one of the halls, replicas of common things used by the Prophet (P.B.U.H) were
placed, such as body armor, kitchen utensils and water pots. A little further a
3D display shows the interior of the house where the Prophet lived in Madinah.
Another adjacent 3D display shows the interior of the same house. At the end of
the hallway is a dark theatre like room with a screen which displays various
ministries and departments which were present in the Prophet’s time.

In
the middle of another hall, are huge models of Makkah and Madinah as they were
in the time of our Prophet (P.B.U.H). If you tap the screen placed outside the
glass box, it illuminates important landmarks such as the Kaaba and the
Prophet’s house. This feature is available on both models.A map on a wall also
shows the path our Prophet (P.B.U.H) took to journey six kilometers every day.

This
path leads from the house of Khadija Al-Kubra to Jabal Al-Nur from where a
climb of 200 meters was made to enter Cave Hira. Another screen shows the most
detailed written description of various body parts of the Prophet (P.B.U.H).
Each body part such as the eye, eyebrows and eyelids etc. are mentioned, and
you can choose to touch the screen to know the complete details.We as Muslims
must be thankful to Dr. Nasir as he has allowed us to live in a time, which we
have only read about.